1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a display shelving system. More specifically, the invention relates to a modification to a retail sales display gondola that allows for the replacement of the standard base deck with a free-standing base deck. This modification can be made to numerous different gondola systems manufactured by different manufacturers, but accomplishes the same goal of adding shelf space to the gondola.
2. Description of Related Art
Retail display shelving commonly used in grocery stores, department stores, discount stores, and other retail outlets that display items on shelves, are manufactured by numerous companies in a plethora of models and design choices. The units that are typically found in a grocery store to display items for sale, such as bags of salty snacks, are typically referred to in the industry as gondola units. These units are typically self-contained with multiple shelves. A list of some of the manufacturers offering these gondolas includes Lozier, Madix, the Thorco Division of Marmon Group, and Syndic Systems Division of Legget and Platt.
Although there are variations amongst the gondola units offered by different manufacturing companies, the basic design is fairly well established and there are many common features shared industry wide. A typical example of a gondola system is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The particular gondola system illustrated in these figures is manufactured by Lozier, but is illustrative of many others offered by other manufacturers. FIG. 1A presents an exploded perspective view of the basic components of the prior art while FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of an assembled unit as one would encounter in a retail environment.
The core of the prior art gondola is a back panel 102 which is vertically oriented and is held in position by connection to at least one upright 104, which is also vertically oriented. In the embodiment shown, the connection to the upright 104 is accomplished by at least a bottom rail 108, a center rail 110, and a top rail 122, although more of such horizontal rails 108, 110, and 122 can be used for this purpose. The vertical uprights 104 are stabilized by at least one, and typically two, base legs or brackets 106. One or more shelves 112 can be horizontally positioned in numerous locations relative to the back panel by virtue of connections between the shelf 112 and the uprights 104. A base deck or shelf 114 is maintained off of the surface upon which the entire unit sits by being supported by the base brackets 106. A closed base front 116 encloses the space beneath the base deck in conjunction with base deck 114 and base bracket trim 118, when said base and trim also covers the base brackets 106. The gondola unit may have other trim components such as the upright and trim 120 that covers the upright 104. A disadvantage of the gondola system illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B is that, since the base deck 114 is elevated off of the flooring to the approximate height of the base leg or bracket 106, the display space that could be used is limited by the displacement beneath. In certain applications, a modification to the system may be desired that positions the base deck as close as possible, and perhaps even resting on, the flooring. It would be desirable to have a single modification unit that could be used with a variety of gondola systems.
Nothing in the prior art addresses the problem associated with maximizing the available retail sales space on a typical gondola. Because retailers have a fixed amount of floor space with which to display retail merchandise, a need exists for a means to maximize the available space. A further need exists for a means to reclaim the retail sales space that is wasted below the bottom shelf of most gondolas. Because retailers typically utilize gondolas from multiple vendors, a further need exists for a means to maximize the retail shelving space that works universally with many different brands of gondolas. The present invention fills these needs and other needs as detailed more fully below.